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��Ͽ� gets $19 million federal grant to manage statewide manufacturing program

giffeyt — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 13:00:00 +0000

��Ͽ� gets $19 million federal grant to manage statewide manufacturing program giffeyt March 5, 2026

Manufacturing Outreach Center receives federal designation as statewide leader to support small and medium-sized manufacturers

��Ͽ�, Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University, has been awarded $19 million in federal funds as it takes a leadership role as manager of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) program in Wisconsin. The funds, $3.8 million annually for five years, come through the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology MEP National Network. The program’s primary mission is to strengthen and empower small and mid-sized U.S. manufacturers through state-designated MEP Centers across the United States. 

This funding will enable ��Ͽ�’s Manufacturing Outreach Center (MOC), its subrecipient the Wisconsin Manufacturing Extension Partnership (WMEP), and statewide manufacturing leaders to coordinate efforts that ensure continued, uninterrupted support for Wisconsin’s small and mid-sized manufacturers. 

For the past decade, MOC and WMEP have received funding through the Wisconsin Center for Manufacturing and Productivity (WCMP). With WCMP’s Board of Directors voting to dissolve the organization at the end of 2025 to streamline operations, ��Ͽ� — through the MOC — stepped forward to secure future funding and maintain continuity of services across the state. 

“Through MOC’s leadership and the combined statewide field staff of both organizations, manufacturers will continue to access tailored support in areas such as lean process improvement, quality management systems, supply chain optimization, leadership development, and advanced technology adoption, including AI,” ��Ͽ� Chancellor Katherine Frank said.

Under the new structure, MOC serves as the primary applicant and coordinating entity, with Madison-based WMEP as a subrecipient and key partner in delivering statewide services. Together, the organizations continue a 30-year impact record: creating or retaining more than 34,000 jobs, generating $8.9 billion in economic impact, and serving more than 575 manufacturers annually. 

“Through this new structure the MOC and its partner, the WMEP, will be able to better connect small and medium-sized manufacturers to statewide resources, including ��Ͽ�’s Center for Advanced Manufacturing & AI,” said Seth Hudson, executive director of Corporate Relations and Economic Engagement at ��Ͽ�. 

Manufacturing remains a cornerstone of Wisconsin’s economy, contributing $71.6 billion to the state’s $402 billion gross domestic product and employing about 15% of the workforce, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. 

“Together, MOC and WMEP have delivered measurable results for Wisconsin manufacturing,” said Chris Baichoo, CEO and executive director of WMEP. “This alliance ensures coordinated, statewide support to help small and mid-sized manufacturers strengthen operations, develop their workforce and remain competitive.” 

By equipping manufacturers with practical tools, strategic guidance, and specialized expertise, MOC and WMEP are positioning Wisconsin’s manufacturing sector for long-term strength and competitiveness. 

"At ��Ͽ�’s MOC, our commitment to supporting Wisconsin manufacturers has never been stronger. Our dedicated staff and partners, including WMEP, work alongside manufacturers to meet them where they are and help them tackle the challenges of a fast-moving industry,” said Aaron Bialzik, director of ��Ͽ�’s MOC. 

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MOC gets federal designation as Wisconsin’s statewide leader in supporting small and medium-sized manufacturers MOC representative on a factory visit

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Hero Caption: Kevin Thiel, senior project manager from the ��Ͽ� Manufacturing Outreach Center, right, visits Volm Companies Fresh Tech Products plant in Antigo, Wisconsin.

Seth Hudson

Seth Hudson was announced as the new leader on Thursday, July 28, by Chancellor Katherine Frank. He will direct ��Ͽ�’s Discovery Center, including the Manufacturing Outreach Center, Stout Technology and Business Park, and a comprehensive range of industry, applied research, technical assistance and technology transfer efforts of the university.

Hudson has bachelor’s degrees in political science and economics from the University of Southern Maine.

"I am looking forward to growing ��Ͽ�’s existing partnerships in order to expand the relationships between students, faculty, staff and Wisconsin’s business community,” he said.

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��Ͽ� AI experts give AARP readers tips on navigating a chatbot-powered world

giffeyt — Wed, 04 Mar 2026 22:43:28 +0000

��Ͽ� AI experts give AARP readers tips on navigating a chatbot-powered worldgiffeyt March 4, 2026

AI technologist, STEMM professor offer suggestions on using technology confidently

From ChatGPT to Siri, Americans of all ages are using text- and voice-based artificial intelligence tools to find social connection, entertainment and even health information. One recent survey found that 55% of people 50 and over have used such technologies. But are they using them safely and wisely?

��Ͽ� Assistant Professor Camille Banger and AI Integration Technologist Emily Laird were two of the experts consulted for an article published recently by AARP that offered advice to older adults on how to use AI chatbots confidently.

Emily Laird

“Chatbots can be incredibly helpful for a variety of tasks that simplify the more traditional act of performing Google searches or feeding in multiple sources of information and asking it to review and summarize,” Laird told the article’s author, Kristen A. Schmitt. Despite these benefits, however, chatbots aren’t always truthful or accurate, which means users shouldn’t trust them without question.

“AIs are not using reasoning based on human thought processing,” added Banger, program director for ��Ͽ�’s B.S. business information technology program, who has used AI in her own classroom. “Instead, it’s taking the data it already has access to.”

The article included tips on staying safe with AI tools:

Know who you are talking to.

Are you communicating with a human being or a bot? One clue: Chatbots are designed to keep users engaged, which leads to “sycophantic” responses and “overly embellished flowery language,” Laird said.

Double-check responses.

Especially when answers related to financial, legal or health issues, always double-check responses. AI may be a starting point, but it shouldn’t have the final word.

Camille Banger

Report questionable information.

If a chatbot response seems suspicious or incorrect, there typically will be a way to provide feedback. For example, responses from ChatGPT are followed by thumbs-up or thumbs-down icon. Claude, Gemini and Microsoft Copilot offer similar tools.

Protect personal data.

“Treat any chatbot like a stranger you’ve just met at a store or a bus stop,” Laird said. “They’re polite, they’re helpful, but they’re not someone who needs any personal details.”

Watch out for scams.

The ��Ͽ� experts also noted that chatbots may be used to scam unsuspecting users. “If somebody’s calling you and it’s urgent, like ‘act now,’ or they’re requesting payments or ‘Hey, get a free gift card,’ those are usually scams,” Banger said. While a robocaller may sound like a legitimate human, “I would say 100% of the time it’s not,” she added.

To learn more about confidently navigating the AI-powered era at any age, read the AARP article “6 Ways to Stay Safe in a Chatbot World.”

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��Ͽ� gets $19 million federal grant to manage statewide manufacturing program

MOC gets federal designation as Wisconsin’s statewide leader in supporting small and medium-sized manufacturers

��Ͽ� AI experts give AARP readers tips on navigating a chatbot-powered world

��Ͽ� AI technologist, STEMM professor recommend thinking critically, protecting personal data

Wisconsin manufacturing leaders unite to accelerate AI adoption across the state

MKE Tech Hub, WMEP and ��Ͽ� form strategic partnership to support mid-market manufacturers

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Wisconsin manufacturing leaders unite to accelerate AI adoption across the state

giffeyt — Tue, 24 Feb 2026 14:00:00 +0000

Wisconsin manufacturing leaders unite to accelerate AI adoption across the stategiffeyt February 24, 2026

MKE Tech Hub, WMEP and ��Ͽ� form strategic partnership to support mid-market manufacturers

Three of Wisconsin’s leading manufacturing support organizations announced today a groundbreaking partnership to help mid-market manufacturers strategically adopt artificial intelligence and advanced technologies. The collaboration between MKE Tech Hub Coalition’s Synapse initiative, Wisconsin Manufacturing Extension Partnership (WMEP), and the Manufacturing Outreach Center (MOC) and Center for Advanced Manufacturing & AI (CAM-AI), both housed at ��Ͽ�, Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University, creates the state’s most comprehensive AI transformation support network for manufacturers.

The partnership addresses a critical gap in Wisconsin’s manufacturing ecosystem, where mid-market manufacturers face mounting pressure to modernize using AI solutions but lack access to strategic guidance tailored to their specific needs and resources. With 25% of Wisconsin’s manufacturing workforce approaching retirement, these companies need productivity solutions that enable them to do more with fewer people while attracting next-generation talent.

“MKE Tech Hub’s mission has always been to serve as a catalyst for innovation through meaningful connections,” said Joe Poeschl, Executive Director of MKE Tech Hub Coalition. “This partnership exemplifies that mission perfectly — bringing together the best manufacturing expertise across Wisconsin to support companies that are the backbone of our economy. When mid-market manufacturers succeed, entire communities thrive. This collaboration ensures they have access to the strategic guidance and technical support they need to compete globally.”

Seth Hudson, Executive Director of Corporate Relations & Economic Engagement at ��Ͽ�, said: “This collaboration exemplifies our commitment to serving Wisconsin’s economy as the state’s Polytechnic University through applied learning and research, business and industry collaboration, and career-focused experiences. By connecting our academic resources with industry expertise and strategic guidance, we’re creating pathways for Wisconsin manufacturers to compete globally while strengthening our state’s workforce."

Statewide coverage, integrated expertise

The partnership establishes clear geographic coverage across Wisconsin while ensuring coordinated delivery that leverages each organization’s distinct strengths in support Wisconsin’s manufacturers.

MKE Tech Hub Coalition is a nonprofit membership organization serving as a unifying voice for Milwaukee’s tech ecosystem and a catalyst for innovation through meaningful connections. Through its Synapse initiative, MKE Tech Hub provides AI strategy and transformation leadership for mid-market manufacturers across Wisconsin.
��Ͽ�, through its Manufacturing Outreach Center, has been designated by the National Institute of Standards and Technology MEP National Network as the Wisconsin Center supporting small and medium sized manufacturers. The federal designation has allowed the MOC to continue its alliance with Madison-based Wisconsin Manufacturing Extension Partnership (WMEP) to continue delivering coordinated, statewide support to Wisconsin’s small- and mid-sized manufacturers. Through MOC’s and WMEP’s statewide field staff, manufacturers will continue to access tailored, hands-on support in lean process improvement, quality management systems, supply chain optimization, leadership development, and the adoption of advanced technologies. Together, MOC and WMEP will continue a 30-year record of creating or retaining over 34,000 jobs, generating $8.9 billion in economic impact, and serving more than 575 small and mid-sized manufacturers annually
- Wisconsin Manufacturing Extension Partnership (WMEP) serves manufacturers in Southern and Eastern Wisconsin
- UW -Stout Manufacturing Outreach Center (MOC) serves manufacturers in Northern and Western Wisconsin
��Ͽ� Center for Advanced Manufacturing & AI (CAM-AI) provides statewide applied research, technical problem-solving, and hands-on engineering solutions in advanced manufacturing technologies, automation, robotics, AI/ML and innovation prototyping.

Chris Baichoo, CEO of WMEP, emphasized the collaborative nature of the partnership: “Our manufacturers have been asking for help navigating AI, but they need more than technical training — they need clarity on where AI can create value in their operations. This partnership allows us to bring that strategic lens to our clients, grounded in the real-world manufacturing experience WMEP is known for.”

Aaron Bialzik, Director of ��Ͽ�'s Manufacturing Outreach Center, highlighted the academic research foundation: “��Ͽ� has been at the forefront of applied manufacturing research for decades. Through CAM-AI and MOC, we bring not just consulting expertise but cutting-edge research and hands-on technical validation capabilities. This partnership extends that value across the entire state.”

Accessible to mid-market manufacturers

The partnership specifically caters to the more than 99% of Wisconsin manufacturers operating below $500 million in revenue — companies often overlooked by tier-1 consulting firms requiring more than $1 million engagements. By leveraging MKE Tech Hub's tax-exempt status and the partnership's collaborative model, the initiative delivers enterprise-grade consulting expertise at mid-market accessible pricing.

Unlike traditional consulting firms that compete for implementation work, MKE Tech Hub’s Synapse initiative operates as a “network orchestrator” — developing strategic methodologies and coordinating delivery through verified partners without competing on implementation. This approach ensures manufacturers receive vendor-neutral guidance focused solely on business value.

“This partnership represents a fundamentally different approach to manufacturing transformation,” added Sanjay Mohan, Executive Director of AI Strategy at MKE Tech Hub Coalition. “What manufacturers need most isn’t more AI hype — it’s a clear framework for making smart decisions about technology investments. We’re not selling AI solutions — we’re helping manufacturers identify their biggest business challenges first, then determining whether AI is the right answer. By combining Synapse’s problem-first DRIVETM methodology with WMEP’s operational excellence and ��Ͽ�’s technical expertise, we’re giving Wisconsin manufacturers something they can’t get anywhere else: vendor-neutral strategic guidance backed by world-class implementation support.”

The three organizations will coordinate on joint service offerings including comprehensive manufacturing AI assessments, transformation programs, proof-of-value implementations, and innovation workshops, with each organization contributing its specialized expertise while maintaining clear accountability.

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Royal Credit Union internship gives ��Ͽ� grad student opportunity to apply skills in data science, machine learning

giffeyt — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 15:00:00 +0000

Royal Credit Union internship gives ��Ͽ� grad student opportunity to apply skills in data science, machine learninggiffeyt January 29, 2026

M.S. applied computer science student finds workplaces experience aligns with coursework

Tom Giffey

A yearlong business intelligence internship at Royal Credit Union, one of Wisconsin’s largest financial institutions, has helped a ��Ͽ� applied computer science graduate student gain confidence and skill in both data engineering and machine learning.

“It’s been a fun experience. I’m really grateful,” said Justin George, who expects to receive his M.S. applied computer science degree in May. “This internship has been the best part of my Stout experience so far.”

George began his business intelligence internship last May at the Eau Claire-based financial institution, which serves 330,000 members through 28 branches in western Wisconsin and eastern Minnesota. Now in its third semester, George’s internship has provided an opportunity for him to apply what he’s learned through his degree program at Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University.

Professor Keith Wojciechowski of ��Ͽ�’s Department of Math, Statistics and Computer Science, who encouraged George to pursue the internship, praised the graduate student for seizing the opportunity and making it a successful experience.

“One of the things that we emphasized and that he was very eager to do was to get an internship where he could apply those skills and learn on the job,” Wojciechowski said.

Lou Heimstead, Royal’s business intelligence and analytics manager, supervises ��Ͽ� student Justin George during his internship.

Student’s work makes business data visual

��Ͽ�’s M.S. applied computer science program provides professionals in a wide range of occupations a pathway to deepen their knowledge, skills and experience with computer systems that automate tasks, analyze data and create new workflows. Through the program, George has been able to focus on topics that interest him, such as data visualization and machine learning, both of which have played a role in his Royal internship.

Lou Heimstead, business intelligence and analytics manager at Royal, said George has been fully integrated into her team and its work. “He’s not doing isolated intern tasks,” Heimstead said. “He’s been learning and applying the same processes that our business intelligence analysts and data engineers use.”

And as George has continued to demonstrate his skills, the scope of the internship has expanded into the realm of machine learning, a subset of artificial intelligence in which algorithms are used to find patterns in data to make predictions without explicit programming.

“What he has added is the capacity to bring in his technical skills that align closely with what he’s been studying at ��Ͽ�, specifically data science and machine learning,” Heimstead explained. “With that background, he’s been able to contribute to more technical work that would otherwise compete for my senior analyst’s time. So rather than replacing existing work, he’s actually been expanding what the team can realistically take on, especially in areas requiring stronger programming, modeling and data science skills.”

Students from three Universities of Wisconsin campuses use machine learning to solve problems for Royal Credit Union

Computer science students from ��Ͽ�, UWEC, UWRF exercise ‘exceptional’ AI acumen for leading financial institution

Expanding machine learning applications

Last summer, four undergraduates — including two from ��Ͽ� — took part in a machine learning internship at Royal. They focused on writing software to dive into Royal’s data and address two issues: The first was studying the factors that could lead members to leave the credit union, while the second aimed to determine a “next best product” that might interest an existing member. After the undergraduates’ internship ended last summer, George was asked to continue working with the machine learning-powered software models they built.

“It was not part of my job description, but since I was interested, they were happy to give me the opportunity to work on machine learning,” he said. As a result, George continues to hone his machine learning skills, while Royal continues to benefit from what the previous interns helped build.

Graduate student Justin George, at far right, in a ��Ͽ� Advanced Machine Learning class.

In fact, Heimstead said, George has enhanced and unified the multiple machine learning models into a single model for each issue. His work ensures the solution remains both usable and valuable. That continuity helps Royal keep the work ready to build on in the future.

George said the ��Ͽ� master’s program offers a sharp contrast to his bachelor’s degree experience. “Here I get the exposure of practical training and working on projects. There are so many internship opportunities, and they are directly aligned with my academics,” George said.

“I feel like the professors are very helpful,” he continued. “They are always making sure you are getting practical exposure. It’s not just theory. That’s something I like about Stout.”

Wojciechowski is impressed by George’s hard work and adaptability in the Royal internship. “He’s out there in the world solving problems,” Wojciechowski said.

Not only has George been able to tackle the tasks he was originally hired for, but he’s been able to grow his skill set, too. “He’s been able to adapt and evolve at Royal,” Wojciechowski said. “I think that speaks very well for him.”

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��Ͽ� gets $19 million federal grant to manage statewide manufacturing program

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��Ͽ� AI technologist, STEMM professor recommend thinking critically, protecting personal data

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M.S. applied computer science student finds workplaces experience aligns with coursework RCU employee Lou Heimstead works with intern Justin George

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Hero Caption: M.S. applied computer science student Justin George interns at Royal Credit Union’s Corporate Center in Eau Claire.

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��Ͽ� professor brings aspects of grandfather’s experience in Battle of the Bulge ‘back to life’

goersab — Wed, 28 Jan 2026 13:30:00 +0000

��Ͽ� professor brings aspects of grandfather’s experience in Battle of the Bulge ‘back to life’goersab January 28, 2026

Oss uses AI tools to decipher World War II journal, recreate portraits, landscapes

Abbey Goers

As an instructor of documentary filmmaking at ��Ͽ�, Assistant Professor Keif Oss’s professional interests in artificial intelligence (AI) filmmaking center on tools that can meaningfully inform and streamline the creative process.

Oss, program director of video production, is currently using AI to explore a conceptual documentary based on his grandfather’s World War II journal from the Battle of the Bulge. His grandfather, Jack Mooney, served in Company D, 405th Infantry Regiment, 102nd Infantry Division, in the European Theater of Operations.

Jack Mooney, 1952

“Until now, his experiences were things I could only imagine through black-and-white films and the few stories he shared. After he passed, I gained access to his journal, and the vivid detail of his writing reads almost like a film. I wanted to see whether AI could help me bring aspects of his experience back to life,” Oss said.

The Battle of the Bulge was fought in the Ardennes region of Belgium during World War II, from Dec. 16, 1944, to Jan. 25, 1945. It was the last major German assault on the Western Front, in an unsuccessful attempt to break Allied lines.

Just as he encourages students in his documentary courses, Oss used the AI tools Elicit and Perplexity as elevated forms of research support. Elicit surfaced research articles on troop movements and the broader context of the battle, while Perplexity helped confirm geographical details and historical images of the terrain.

These tools allowed Oss to map locations from his grandfather’s journal and cross-reference them with known Allied troop movements, giving him a clearer sense of where his grandfather may have been during the campaign.

Using a photograph of his grandfather from 1952, Oss mapped his likeness into an AI engine and generated period-accurate still images of him in the European Theater. He used a combination of period stock photography, processes, and tools to generate initial stills in Midjourney, then brought them into Runway to create short live-action sequences.

“The results, while clearly artificial, had an uncanny resemblance to how my grandfather might have looked as a young soldier. Sharing these with my family produced the same mix of fascination and emotional weight I felt while creating them,” Oss said. “For one scene – his account of being in a foxhole in a beet field in Belgium during a German assault – I combined his descriptions with uploaded reference photos of uniforms and landscapes.”

During the assault, his grandfather’s unit was taken by German soldiers wearing harvested officers’ clothing from American troops. “He and one other soldier escaped. Otherwise, the whole unit was captured. He didn't know it until later,” Oss explained.

Oss also attempted to use AI handwriting tools to decipher difficult portions of the journal. “While some engines struggled with cursive without a training sample, the process helped clarify what AI can and cannot yet handle,” he said. “This project remains an ongoing personal hobby, and AI continues to be a meaningful part of my ability to study, visualize and interpret my grandfather’s experiences.”

A new Artificial Intelligence (AI) Assisted Film and Video Production course will launch at ��Ͽ� in summer 2026. The course, possibly a first-of-its-kind in the Universities of Wisconsin, was developed by Oss and fellow faculty members Jonny Wheeler and Co O’Neill. Students in the course will produce a short narrative film, using AI tools from pre-production concepts to completion.

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Students from three Universities of Wisconsin campuses use machine learning to solve problems for Royal Credit Union

giffeyt — Mon, 26 Jan 2026 14:00:00 +0000

Students from three Universities of Wisconsin campuses use machine learning to solve problems for Royal Credit Uniongiffeyt January 26, 2026

Computer science students from ��Ͽ�, UWEC, UWRF exercise ‘exceptional’ AI acumen for leading financial institution

Tom Giffey

Three Universities of Wisconsin campuses partnered with Royal Credit Union to launch an innovative internship program using AI to support this Wisconsin-based financial institution. This story is one of four in a series showcasing the impact of this collaboration. Read more about the faculty who supported the internship, how the partnership supported the state's economic development and how the collaboration originated.

Computer science students from three Universities of Wisconsin campuses leveraged their knowledge of machine learning to address real-world questions for one of the state’s largest credit unions in a unique internship program.

Four students — two from ��Ͽ�, one from UW-Eau Claire and one from UW-River Falls — honed their professional skills through internships with Royal Credit Union’s AI Innovation Lab last summer. The internship was a pilot program to help Royal implement machine learning, a subset of artificial intelligence in which algorithms are used to find patterns in data to make predictions without explicit programming.

Chris Meyer, Royal’s vice president of IT Innovation and Efficiency, said such partnerships with the Universities of Wisconsin provide “immeasurable” value for the credit union, which serves 330,000 members in western Wisconsin and eastern Minnesota.

“This particular program brought about an opportunity for us to try some new, innovative ideas without the risks of derailing existing strategic projects or core work that were going on with our existing teams,” Meyer said.

Royal Credit Union interns, left to right, Paige Keller of UW-Eau Claire, Mariah Waslie of UW-River Falls, Emmett Jaakkola of ��Ͽ� and Matthew Peplinski of ��Ͽ�. / Submitted photo

“The interns we worked with from ��Ͽ�, UW-River Falls and UW-Eau Claire absolutely exceeded our expectations,” he continued. “Not only did they bring exceptional skills immediately out of school into the workforce, but they brought a perspective that we don’t always see — a younger perspective in how to approach some of the projects we’re looking at.”

The student interns were Matthew Peplinski and Emmett Jaakkola of ��Ͽ�, Paige Keller of UW-Eau Claire, and Mariah Waslie of UW-River Falls.

“We got to fully make our own data set, run all these machine learning models, analyze the results, present them, double check our own processes, and lay out a foundation for the company. It’s amazing what we could do as interns,” said Peplinski, of Milwaukee, who graduated in December with a B.S. in applied mathematics and computer science.

“We were the catalyst to all machine learning that Royal was delving into,” explained Jaakkola, of St. Paul, who graduated in December with degrees in both computer science and applied math and computer science.

Matthew Peplinski works on his laptop in an Advanced Machine Learning course at ��Ͽ�.

Leveraging students’ talents

Interns were recruited from the computer science programs at the three universities, all of which are within Royal’s geographic footprint. Once the interns began working in June at the Royal Credit Union Corporate Center in Eau Claire, the students began brainstorming how they could apply their machine learning acumen to the financial institution.

Keller, a UW-Eau Claire senior from Crystal Lake, Illinois, majoring in computer science, was excited by the opportunity, which allowed the students to come up with their own use cases for machine learning. “It’s almost like we were in the driver’s seat as the interns, which was what I loved most about the experience,” Keller said.

For the first few weeks of the internship, the students delved into Royal’s databases, learning what data was available, creating queries to gather it, and determining how it could be used to make projections.

Working with interns from multiple universities enhanced the experience because of the students’ varied experiences and curriculums, Keller said. “We all helped each other. We all asked each other questions,” Keller said. “We ran into the same roadblocks a lot of times, and so we had to come together and brainstorm. Having that experience from different backgrounds was very useful in coming up with different ideas.”

For example, Waslie — a UW-River Falls senior from Maiden Rock pursing a double major in computer science and data science — was adept at creating models with the programming language R, which the other interns had less experience with. Meanwhile, Peplinski used SQL to combine data and Python to develop models, while also bringing business skills to the table thanks to his ��Ͽ� minors in business and economics.

Universities of Wisconsin interns pose with Royal Credit Union employees Tad Carlson, far left, and Linda Kampa, far right. / Submitted photo

With the help of their team leader — Linda Kampa, a senior data engineer at Royal — the interns built a giant table set of more than 100 customer attributes, combining pieces of data from multiple sources. Once all this data had been gathered, the team tried to use it to predict members’ future behavior.

“Building out our own data set was a pretty astounding part of the internship, something that is pretty unique,” Peplinski said. His ��Ͽ� classmate, Jaakkola, agreed: “Working with a large database like that, it would be hard to get that experience without actually doing it.”

Over the course of the summer, the interns focused on two main classification problems. The first was to determine which factors indicated a member was about to leave the credit union: For example, was it when their balances reached a certain amount, or perhaps when a loan had been paid off? The second aimed to determine a “next best product” that would interest an existing member, similar to how a streaming service algorithm might recommend a new TV series.

AI reshaping industry: Advanced Machine Learning students develop impactful, competitive models

Projects result in innovative way to search course bulletin, play digital Othello board game

Jaakkola said he was well-prepared by his ��Ͽ� machine learning coursework to tackle problems for Royal. “I think the foundation we had from our classes really made it possible,” he said. Nonetheless, he added, the tasks were more complex: For example, while the queries he wrote for class might have included roughly 10 lines of code, some he wrote for Royal were as long as 1,000 lines.

The interns worked with managers from many of the credit union’s departments, strengthening their communications skills in frequent meetings and presentations. Part of the project’s goal, Peplinski said, was to create confidence that machine learning could supplement these managers’ own business intuitions.

Peplinski said the experience also helped him hone his technical communication skills. “In the same way that when you’re building machine learning models you iterate and make it better every iteration, I felt we also got better over time communicating results,” he said.

Emmett Jaakkola, right, in an Advanced Machine Learning course at ��Ͽ�.

Learning workforce skills

Professor Keith Wojciechowski of ��Ͽ�’s Department of Math, Statistics and Computer Science, commended Royal Credit Union for putting trust in student interns to create algorithms for the financial institution. “This is like being part of a real research and development team,” Wojciechowski said.

Professor Keith Wojciechowski

During the course on the internship, Wojciechowski and faculty members from UW-River Falls and UW-Eau Claire met twice with the interns and the Royal Credit Union team, once in the middle of the summer and once at the end for a final showcase of their work.

“Not only are we impressed with their ability to solve the problems, but by their ability to present and work in a professional environment,” Wojciechowski said of the interns. “That’s also a very important skill that they eventually have to learn.”

Kampa, the senior data engineer who worked side by side with the students, said part of the goal of the internship was to determine if Royal is ready to build machine learning models in-house. The interns, she said, were well-positioned to pursue the project.

“They came in with fresh ideas,” Kampa said. “None of them had a lot of financial background, but it was nice to have that clean slate. There were no preconceived notions of how something should work. It really led to a lot of unique and fresh perspectives, unbiased solutions and the recommendations that they made.”

Kampa said the interns arrived with excellent technical skills and absorbed new abilities quickly. The team experienced numerous “lightbulb moments” throughout the summer, she said.

“Early on in the internship, we were meeting to discuss what type of data we would be including to feed into the models,” Kampa recalled. “The idea that we were working through was really a complex concept to understand right away. We met a few times, we worked through some examples and did some whiteboard drawings, and to see the look on their faces when it clicked was really a rewarding experience for both me and the interns.”

Both businesses and students benefit from these collaborations, Kampa added. “Having the interns participate was a win-win for both Royal and the interns, because we got things up and running more quickly with their expertise from all the classes they’ve taken, and it gave the interns a chance to see what it’s like to work in a business setting,” she said.

Having Universities of Wisconsin campuses nearby creates a talent pipeline for the credit union as well as other organizations in the region, added Meyer, Royal’s vice president of IT Innovation and Efficiency. “The opportunity to work with faculty, who are experts in their areas, and students who are learning from them is something unique that we would not be able to do if we didn’t have those universities in our backyard,” he said. “And the opportunity to do that means that we can provide new value to our members, growing our organization in a way that would have been impossible without the universities’ presence.”

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AI reshaping industry: Advanced Machine Learning students develop impactful, competitive models

goersab — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 16:48:14 +0000

AI reshaping industry: Advanced Machine Learning students develop impactful, competitive modelsgoersab January 22, 2026

Projects result in innovative way to search course bulletin, play digital Othello board game

Abbey Goers

��Ͽ�’s 360-degree AI education approach prepares graduates to meet the needs of a rapidly evolving workforce by embedding artificial intelligence training in all of its degree programs. For two groups of applied mathematics and computer science students in an Advanced Machine Learning course, their final projects resulted in a model that could actively impact their institution and another that created a highly competitive AI opponent for a classic board game.

One group built a RAG model – or Retrieval Augmented Generation – to allow students to search the ��Ͽ� course bulletin in a much more engaging way. Another created a digital version of the board game Othello, using a Monte Carlo Tree Search (MCTS) and a database of top international players to train the model.

Matthew Peplinski presents on the group Stout Bulletin RAG project.

“The motivation of the class is for students to pick up a cutting-edge paper, read it, understand it and implement it. Five years from now, when they are in their careers, they’ll know how to read a tech-heavy math paper and translate it into code,” said AMCS Program Director, Professor Seth Dutter. “These are the types of top-tier projects I look to give my students. The experience sets them apart. That’s polytechnic and gets to the point of ��Ͽ�.”

The Stout Bulletin RAG

In developing their group project, Tyler Smith, of Rochester; Matthew Peplinski, of Milwaukee; Aaron King, of Rhinelander; and Kyler Nikolai, of Rochester, wanted to create an easy way to gather information about ��Ͽ�’s courses, degree programs, minors and certifications without having to read through the entire course bulletin.

“We created the Stout Bulletin RAG, which can take any question someone has about Stout’s courses and programs and give them accurate information back within a couple of seconds,” Smith said. “A new student could use the program when applying to Stout to find out what classes and programs are offered, or a current student could use it when scheduling their classes for the next semester. The program actively uses ChatGPT to curate a response that provides the necessary information in a nice way. It also gives ChatGPT more specific information because the data is directly from the current Stout bulletin, so there will be no mistakes in finding old or irrelevant information.”

The group demonstrates the Stout Bulletin RAG in a final project presentation.

A RAG model allows the user to describe what they are looking for in sentence form, rather than just by using a single word search. The model consists of three parts, Smith explained: the prompt, the retrieval of data and the response from a LLM, or large language model. The prompt is what the user, like a student, asks the model. The model then searches through the stored data and finds what sentences, paragraphs or documents of text are most similar to the question asked.

“This is determined by an embedding model, which, in short, is a specific model trained to find similarities between text using a vector space,” he said. “The RAG then retrieves the top results of the most similar text and throws it into a new prompt. This prompt has all the details of the question asked, the information retrieved, and any rules in place, so when the model gets an LLM, like ChatGPT, to summarize the information, the LLM will not make up information it does not have.”

Peplinski added that the point of the RAG is to leverage existing LLM models’ reasoning capabilities, utilizing information that it was not trained on. “We used two different AI models in the process, one for the text embedding and one for the summarization,” he said. “The embedding model was used to determine how similar a user’s question is to the information available in our data set. We then pulled the top five most similar bits of information and sent that to the LLM, or ChatGPT, in our case. The LLM was used only to give the summary of the information that we provided it and given strict instruction to not make up false information.”

An example of a response generated by the Stout Bulletin RAG. / Tyler Smith

Peplinski and Smith thought the best part of the project was seeing how thorough their RAG model was during the final class presentation, as it nearly flawlessly answered prompts and challenges given by attendees.

The most challenging part was gathering all of ��Ͽ�’s program information and automating the data collection process so they would not have to write it out manually.

Smith will graduate this spring and will begin work at Federated Insurance this summer. He feels the project helped prepare him for industry, as many companies already use internal chatbots to search documents. “They are very likely using similar RAG model structures to what we created. So, going into industry with that knowledge is helpful,” he said.

Dutter agreed, adding, “Companies would benefit from employees who know how to code a RAG. It’s a useful skill to help a company that wants to be able to search for information within its sometimes decades worth of documents.”

Othello AI project

In four days, Nathan LaCrosse, of Portage; Noah Stitgen, of Lodi; Jake Swanson, of Eden Prairie, Minnesota; and Lindsey Redepenning, of Elk River, Minnesota, programmed their digital Othello version from scratch, creating an interface and teaching the AI model parameters of play, how to capture an opponent’s piece, and conditions to win the game. Over the next two weeks of the project, they optimized the game to make the most challenging, hyper-aggressive AI opponent they could.

Download their game at GitHub.

Nathan LaCrosse presents on the group Othello AI project.

LaCrosse originally wanted to select chess for the group’s project, but they decided on Othello, as it’s a simpler board game that’s easy to watch and play. Also, unlike checkers, Othello cannot end in a draw.

The group used an MCTS, a lightning-fast algorithm used in AI for decision-making processes, particularly in games, to develop their model. It simulated 3,500 Othello games per second. “When the MCTS evaluates a board position, it plays out a bunch of random games and picks the move that statistically leads to a win,” LaCrosse said.

They were challenged by the tree search to make sure it worked properly. “We actually discovered that we had programmed the game incorrectly because the algorithm was finding glitched moves that gave it an unfair advantage,” LaCrosse said.

An example of opponents' positions in the AI board game of Othello. / Nathan LaCrosse

They later added a neural network to the tree search that studied a database of top French Othello players. They used the database to train the network.

The group enjoyed playing against all the variations of gameplay the model allowed. In the published version, they selected the tree search that had the most unique playstyle, LaCrosse said.

“This project prepared us for industry because it familiarized us with the process of creating a full application, where we had everyone working on different elements of the program and combined it all together in the end,” said LaCrosse, who plans to pursue a Ph.D. in computer science.

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Projects result in innovative way to search course bulletin, play digital Othello board game Advanced Machine Learning, Othello student project

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B.S. Applied Mathematics & Computer Science

Our B.S. Applied Mathematics & Computer Science program will help you develop the analytical and technical skills to solve real-world problems.

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B.S. Computer Science

Our B.S. Computer Science program offers project-based experiences and opportunities—from paid internships to hands-on Agile software development.

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Seth Dutter

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Research Interests: Algebraic Geometry, Algebraic Number Theory, Diophantine Geometry

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AI reshaping industry: New ��Ͽ� course sets AI-use as baseline competency in filmmaking

goersab — Wed, 14 Jan 2026 14:50:00 +0000

AI reshaping industry: New ��Ͽ� course sets AI-use as baseline competency in filmmakinggoersab January 14, 2026

Wheeler’s ‘Relic’ offers students glimpse into possibilities as they create original films

Abbey Goers

This summer at ��Ͽ�, students in a new AI Assisted Film and Video Production course will use AI tools from pre-production concepts to completion, generating scripts, storyboards, shot lists, visual effects, video, music, voice-overs and sound effects to produce a short film.

With the course, ��Ͽ� video production faculty are establishing AI use in filmmaking as a baseline competency.

“The core philosophy of the course is that AI tools are utilized to handle the technical ‘grunt work,’” Assistant Professor Jonny Wheeler said. “By offloading labor-intensive tasks, we are opening the potential for a high level of creativity, allowing students to focus entirely on their narrative vision without being limited by traditional budget or production constraints.”

With creative freedom over their storylines, students will develop a complete concept package for an original film. The specific deliverables will include a creative pitch document, a sizzle reel and a short video teaser.

The course will incorporate AI-generated images and short films as examples, including “Relic” by Wheeler. “Relic” is loosely based on the Old English epic poem “Beowulf,” but which takes place on a post-human Earth with an intelligent ape as the hero.

The film is set in the overgrown, futuristic ruins of a once-great city. The lone warrior navigates this concrete wasteland to hunt down a powerful, ancient weapon to end a reign of terror. His journey leads him into the heart of a monster’s lair, where he must use this artifact to vanquish the creature or face extinction.

Wheeler was inspired by “Beowulf” and the famous quote by science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke: “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”

“I wanted to take the ‘magic’ of the Beowulf tale and give it a technological origin – reimagining the mythical swords and monsters as remnants of a high-tech past,” Wheeler said. “Using AI allowed me to cast an ape as the lead and create a massive, ruined world – elements that would have been impossible for me to film live with a meager budget.”

The course, possibly a first-of-its-kind in the Universities of Wisconsin, was developed by professors Keif Oss, Co O’Neill and Wheeler.

��Ͽ�’s School of Art & Design is one of the largest public art schools in the Midwest. It offers bachelor’s degrees in animation and digital media; game design and development-art; graphic design and interactive media; illustration; industrial and product design; interior design; studio art; arts administration and entrepreneurship; fashion design and development; and video production, and an M.F.A. in design. ��Ͽ� also has a new program in game and media studies.

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Wheeler’s ‘Relic’ offers students glimpse into possibilities as they create original films Jonny Wheeler AI image, Cheetah, a frame used as an example in the summer class

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Jonathan Paul Wheeler

Jonny has a diverse and extensive background in stop-motion animation, photography, video production, graphic design, sculpture, and art/design education. Over the years, he has honed his skills across multiple disciplines, blending traditional techniques with contemporary technologies to create visually compelling and thought-provoking works. His work in sculpture, in particular, has given him a unique perspective on the intersection of physical and digital media, enabling him to explore how tactile, three-dimensional forms can enhance narrative storytelling in film and animation.

Jonny's formal education includes a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) from the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, where he developed his foundational skills in the arts. He later earned a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Education, equipping him with the tools to teach and inspire others in the creative fields. His academic journey culminated in a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Design from the University of Wisconsin-Stout, where he further refined his expertise in design and creative processes.

In addition to his academic achievements, Jonny has dedicated much of his career to education, designing and hosting cinema workshops for secondary students, where he nurtures the next generation of filmmakers by guiding them through the creative and technical processes of filmmaking. He has also taught summer video production camps on campus, helping young students explore video production techniques and the power of storytelling through film. His ability to make complex concepts accessible and engaging has earned him praise from both students and peers. He has also contributed to the Visioneers Design Challenge at the Peck School of the Arts, where he mentors students to develop innovative design solutions, fostering a collaborative environment that encourages creativity and problem-solving.

Jonny’s educational journey also includes a transformative study abroad trip to Iceland, where he taught photography. Immersed in the unique landscapes of Iceland, he shared his expertise with students while also drawing inspiration from the country’s dramatic natural beauty. This experience deepened his understanding of visual storytelling and enriched his approach to teaching and creating art.

Currently, Jonny’s research is focused on the development of narrative cinema, with an emphasis on virtual production—a rapidly growing field that integrates real-time digital environments with live-action performance. He is particularly interested in how new technologies, including AI, can enhance storytelling, automate certain aspects of production, and open up new creative possibilities for filmmakers and animators alike. His work explores the intersection of human creativity and technological innovation, with a keen eye on the future of the film industry.

In addition to his research, Jonny is actively involved in the development of the Unspooled Film and Animation Festival. This festival aims to bring together emerging and established filmmakers, animators, and creators who are pushing the boundaries of storytelling through both traditional and digital media. By embracing AI-driven creativity, innovative techniques, and cutting-edge production methods, the Unspooled Film and Animation Festival celebrates the evolving landscape of film, animation, and sculpture while fostering a space for collaboration and experimentation in the arts. Through this festival, Jonny hopes to inspire a new generation of creators to explore the limitless potential of storytelling in the digital age, encouraging the integration of multiple artistic forms, including sculpture, into cinematic experiences.

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AI reshaping industry: ��Ͽ� professor develops unique approach to chatbot use in pharmacology, human biology

goersab — Wed, 14 Jan 2026 14:45:00 +0000

AI reshaping industry: ��Ͽ� professor develops unique approach to chatbot use in pharmacology, human biologygoersab January 14, 2026

Grant develops student-driven projects; finds high accuracy in AI-dispensed information

Abbey Goers

Professor Jennifer Grant, with ��Ͽ�’s biology department, has been curious about how well everyday chatbots dispense health information, including pharmacology advice and influences on human health.

“You sometimes hear that these tools can give distorted or misleading answers, and that’s what first caught my attention,” she said.

To quell her curiosity, Grant began several lines of AI research and developed projects for her introductory pharmacology and 100-level human biology students. For the results of the first study, Grant published a peer-reviewed manuscript, with reviews that noted that she is developing a unique angle on chatbot use in health care.

“Looking ahead, I plan to develop curricula that teach both students and, eventually, patients how to critically evaluate the quality of chatbot responses. Those skills will be of paramount importance in a world overflowing with digital advice,” Grant said.

When everyday chatbots dispense advice

A plot graph comparing ChatGPT and Copilot / Jennifer Grant

Grant asked her pharmacology students to put three chatbots to the test: ChatGPT, Copilot and Gemini. Their task was simple: ask the chatbots about the safety profiles of specific medications and look for errors. They looked at correctness and rated how thorough and helpful the generated answers were.

“To my surprise, and theirs, students found that the chatbot responses were highly accurate,” she said. “And yes, the chatbots differed. Each had their own style, and students preferred when chatbots organized information in a helpful way.”

Grant recently published an article on her findings in the open-access journal Discover Artificial Intelligence, titled “Undergraduates perceive differences in helpfulness and thoroughness of responses of ChatGPT 3.0, Gemini 1.5, and Copilot responses about drug interactions.”

“I published this research because this is truly a new academic frontier. This work is also very timely, because we believe that many people already consult everyday chatbots for medical advice,” she said.

Access to better information on human health

The pharmacology project experience led Grant to wonder how this approach could help students in her human biology class. Because the goals in that course are different, Grant redesigned the activity.

Instead of focusing on medications, students used Copilot and ChatGPT to explore how molecules influence human health. Every other week, students asked the chatbots a question tied to the organ system the class was studying. Early results showed that the chatbots provided accurate information, and Grant is excited to work up the rest of the data.

“Chatbots are everywhere now, which means learners and patients have more information at their fingertips than ever before. My hope is that this work will help people get better information, not just more of it,” she said.

A third line of Grant’s research addresses biochemistry, using AI software to look at how proteins fold. These student projects are in mid-stage, with outcomes expected by June.

“I am very excited about these projects and will start looking for high-power collaborators with bespoke AI chatbots this spring,” she said.

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Biology Department

Biology helps us understand ourselves, other species, and our place in the earth's ecology, and what life is and how it functions.

��Ͽ�’s biology department offers undergraduate degrees in biochemistry and molecular biology; applied science; biology; environmental science; as well as an online professional science master's in conservation biology. ��Ͽ� also offers degrees in chemistry and physics.

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Jennifer Grant

Teaching Interests: Proteomics (Bio425); Biochemistry (Chem311); General Chemistry (Chem135); Human Biology Lecture & Laboratory (Bio132); Biochemistry Lecture & Laboratory (Chem311); Introduction to Biotechnology (Bio210, Online); Advanced Biotechnology (Bio470); Introductory Biology (Bio101); General Chemistry (Chem 135); Biology of Aging (Bio125)

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AI reshaping industry: ��Ͽ� professor examines impact on manufacturing, supply chains, health care, more

goersab — Wed, 14 Jan 2026 14:40:00 +0000

AI reshaping industry: ��Ͽ� professor examines impact on manufacturing, supply chains, health care, moregoersab January 14, 2026

Karaman Kabadurmus develops new economics course on AI in the Modern Economy

Abbey Goers

Assistant Professor Fatma Karaman Kabadurmus, with ��Ͽ�’s social science department, researched how digital technologies and emerging tools, often described as “AI-enabled” or part of Industry 4.0, are reshaping how firms innovate, manage supply chains and compete in today’s economy. A central focus of this work is how digitalization helped firms respond to the unprecedented disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Through her research, Karaman Kabadurmus recently co-authored two book chapters in “The Palgrave Handbook of Supply Chain and Disruptive Technologies.” The chapters were “The Impact of Digitalization on Firm-Level Innovation Performance During the Pandemic” and “Revolutionizing Last-Mile Delivery: Discovering Disruptive Technologies and Innovative Solutions.”

The role of AI and predictive analytics in health care / GetOnData

Her chapters examine how supply chain digitalization influenced firms’ innovation performance during the pandemic. “The findings highlight that digital transformation helps firms adapt to shocks in logistics, inventory management, labor availability and rapidly changing demand,” she said.

Her research on last-mile delivery and Industry 4.0 critically reviewed emerging technologies, such as AI/ML (machine learning) applications, big data analytics, blockchain, IoT, digital twins, and autonomous systems, and evaluated their implications for efficiency, innovation, and implementation barriers in supply chain operations.

A smart factory ecosystem diagram / LightGuide, Inc.

“This work builds on my broader research agenda in the economics of innovation. Rather than focusing on the technical design of technologies, my research asks economic and social science questions: When do firms adopt new technologies? What barriers do they face? And how do market conditions, competition and institutions shape innovation outcomes?” Karaman Kabadurmus said.

Impact on students and career readiness

Karaman Kabadurmus’ research has a direct impact on her teaching and students’ learning, particularly through a new course she developed, which launches this spring semester: Innovation and Artificial Intelligence in the Modern Economy.

“Employers want AI literacy,” Karaman Kabadurmus said. “As part of the Stout Core foundational education classes, I designed this course for students from all majors. They will learn to understand AI through an applied economic and social science lens.”

The course is an introduction to how digital and AI-enabled technologies shape innovation across sectors, such as health care, manufacturing, supply chains and more. Students examine real-world case studies, such as Amazon, Tesla and Google; observe changes in labor markets and firm strategy; explore ethical and regulatory dimensions; and study public policy debates that affect everyday economic decisions.

Stout Core’s areas of expertise offer students opportunities to grow their global perspective, communication and critical thinking skills, ethical reasoning, and more, so they graduate ready to do more on day one.

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Karaman Kabadurmus develops new economics course on AI in the Modern Economy Fatma Karaman Kabadurmus research, role of AI and predictive analytics in health care. Graphic by GetOnData

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Fatma Nur Karaman Kabadurmus

Dr. Fatma Nur Karaman Kabadurmus is an Assistant Professor of Economics in the Social Science Department at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. She was also an Artificial Intelligence Fellow for the 2024–2025 academic year. At ��Ͽ�, she teaches economics while developing courses and applied learning experiences that connect economics, innovation, and artificial intelligence.

Before joining ��Ͽ�, Dr. Karaman Kabadurmus taught in the John E. Walker Department of Economics at Clemson University from 2022 to 2023. Earlier, she served on the faculty in the Department of Economics at Yasar University from 2013 to 2021 and was a Visiting Assistant Professor at Kalamazoo College after completing her Ph.D. in Economics at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

Her research focuses on the economics of innovation, industrial organization, health economics, and international trade. Her work examines how firms, institutions, and policy environments shape innovation, technology adoption, and economic outcomes. She is especially interested in applied, interdisciplinary research that links economic analysis to real-world challenges in industry, workforce development, and emerging technologies.

Full Name: Fatma Nur Karaman Kabadurmus

Job Title: Assistant Professor

Include in Directory: Yes

Area of Expertise: Economics of Innovation Health Economics Industrial Organization International Trade

College: College of Arts & Human Sciences

Department: Social Science Department

Program

All Degree Programs

B.S. Applied Social Science

Curriculum Vitae: Fatma Nur Karaman Kabadurmus CV (194.44 KB)

Website: Google Scholar

Education:

Degree: Ph.D. Economics

University: Southern Illinois University-Carbondale

Degree: M.S. Economics

University: Istanbul Technical University

Degree: B.A. Business Administration

University: Istanbul University

CACHSS

Exclude from Internal Site Search: No

Include in Directory: Off

Exclude from Internal Site Search: No

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